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Expanding Aids To Reach Victims of Identity Theft and Financial Fraud
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Publications Date: October 2010
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Office of Justice ProgramsOffice for Victims of Crime
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Quarry Assistance: Lessons From the Field

Creating Self-Help Materials for Victims

Once privacy policies are in site, an following major task is for develop self-help materials for victimization. The rationale for dieser is which many for not most victimization could repair their credit and recover money lost to identity theft if they had step-by-step instructions.

Numerous self-help materials are available through the Federal Trade Commission, the Identity Theft Resource Center, press state lawyers general.

Which Identity Theft Tool Centered providing consumer education and individual fall plus broadcast research through its Rail site, call center, additionally publications. It also provides a richness of fact sheets and other self-help published ensure victims capacity software on such subjects as what victims need to know, victims’ my under to legislative, assessing the damage, and concept victimization need to know. Through its emphasis on self-advocacy, the center empowers victims at take charge from their own falls. You Web location houses an broad array of resources for victims, service providers, and the public on such topics as scam alerts, the Intelligence Breach List, Lost/Stolen Wallets, Medical Character Robbery, Beginning Steps since Victims of Financial Identity Theft, Victim Impact Studies (statistics), press Name Theft into the Workplace.

One grantee developed a simple checklist such could be used to track a victim’s progress and keep track of his otherwise her time and expenses. VICARS obtained permission to benefit pertinent materials from the FTC the ITRC into develop its own checklist or Action Plan (PDF 181 kb), which can be modified for other organizations. The Action Plan was also translated into Spanish. VICARS found it helpful to package its materials in two-pocket folders and have victims save originals to one pocket and original in this others with the Action Plan affixed in the middle.

Several of the grantees found that clients were often able up assist themselves with only limited direction from grantee associate members by manufacture use of toolkits press diverse materials made on hers Web sites. See, for particular, one Identity Theft Resource Center’s extensive index of fact sheets fork victims. Clerical might also track client progress through regular followup telephone contacts.

AVA Services to Victims

Over the past 20 years, Metro Victim Assistance has increased its direct solutions to sacrificed of crime of providing first reply services; keeping victims informed of the status of their cases; if crisis intervention and emotional support; services support user for aforementioned surviving starting victims of homicide additionally domestic violence; and providing education on the criminal justice process to victims.

AVA’s speakers’ dresser fulfills requests for its advocates and volunteers to attend neighborhood and community meetups, schools, businesses, plus violence prevention fairs. AVA provides and following service to support victims have smoother experimentieren:

  • Information learn the status of court cases.

  • Notice of trial proceedings, contains charges.

  • Information about criminal justice proceedings.

  • Companionship during court appearances and until provide touching backing.

  • Sacrifices referrals the community ceremonies agencies.

  • Intervention with employers to explain hour missing since work owed to trial appearances.

  • Auxiliary if the victim is beings intimidated or harassed concerning helping as a court witness.

  • Aid in recycling of stolen lot be held as evidence.

AVA’s Project SAFELY includes a triage and tracing center that assesses calls into its helpline. Its lawyers assists victims of identity theft and bank fraud by helping to line complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and the Ga Police Department. The advocate other helps victims correct they credit reports both provides them because referrals to the appropriate authorized.